Seattle Seahawks Week Four Review: Seahawks Get a Leg Up In NFC West After Slow Start

There are three things guaranteed in life. Those being death, taxes, and the Seattle Seahawks being wildly unpredictable. 'Hawks fans all over are used to the bizarre style of play their team runs, but that doesn't mean they can't be bewildered by the on-field production. This week, the Seahawks flew down south to Santa Clara to face the San Francisco 49ers. The biannual matchup between these two NFC West rivals is always a fun one. The 'Hawks were coming into this game on an ugly two-game losing streak that saw them blow leads and lose games they should've won. The 49ers, on the other hand, were coming off a primetime loss to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. With the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams also playing for a foot up in the NFC West, this game was do-or-die for both teams.

The game began with something that we are all too familiar with by now-- a patented Seattle Seahawks three-and-out. When Jimmy Garoppolo and his 49ers' offense took the field, there was a sense of nervousness-- nervousness that can only be felt between two divisional opponents. The first play for the 49ers on offense was nine-yard completion to full back Kyle Juszczyk, and after that, a running back Trey Sermon rushed up the gut for five yards. A few plays later, Garoppolo found his star receiver, Deebo Samuel, for a 21-yard gain. However, the play was called back for holding on the San Francisco offensive line-- that didn't stop Jimmy G from scoring on his first possession. He found his all-pro tight end George Kittle for a sizeable 18-yard gain later in the drive. Trey Sermon then found a hole in the 'Hawks defense and found six more yards on the ground. From the Seattle 21-yard line, Jimmy Garoppolo found Ross Dwelley for a touchdown. During the drive, it became known that Robbie Gould, the 49ers' kicker, would be out for the game. So, the inferior Australian punter, Mitch Wishnowsky, was kicking for the team. He nailed the PAT, but this was something to keep watch of for the rest of the contest.

The ensuing Seahawks' drive ended with a whopping negative four yards. This greatness was achieved by a screen that went for negative two yards, and their last play, Russell Wilson was sacked for a loss of seven yards by Dee Ford-- genuinely riveting. This brought out the superior Australian punter, Michael Dickson-- who we will see a lot in this game. The 49ers were blessed with another possession quickly in the game. After some nice gains on the ground from Trey Sermon, Garappolo attempted his second pass of the drive, and pro-bowl safety Quandre Diggs intercepted it. This is the first interception the Seahawks defense has forced this season--better late than never. Oh boy, I can't wait for my Seahawks to put some points on the board after getting some favorable field position!-- they wound up punting the ball after their second drive of accumulating negative yards. 

At this point, I was pretty disgusted. How does a team with this much star power on offense fail to register a single yard of offense?-- it was embarrassing. How are we getting outplayed by Jimmy Garappolo? As I pondered how such a thing was happening to my beloved 'Hawks, Garropolo was stringing together another solid drive. Sermon was making moves on the ground, and Garappolo found Kittle and Deebo Samuel to move the sticks. After a small gain of two yards from Sermon, Garappolo was sacked for a loss of seven yards from 'Hawks linebacker Jordyn Brooks. On the next snap, Garappolo was able to get those yards back when he connected with Kittle, but it was fourth down. Wishnowsky came out to kick a 41-yard field goal-- but he missed it left.

The Seahawks did something that amazed me on their next offensive possession-- a third straight drive that only yielded negative yardage. How is this possible? What plays is Shan Waldron calling? Why has the offensive line decided now to start playing like a rotating door? I was more upset than concerned-- we are in the second quarter, and we have three three-and-outs that haven't ended with positive yardage. This is a new level of ineptitude that I am starting to think I will have to get used to, sadly. 

The one positive that was great about this game so far is that the 'Hawks defense has been playing well up to this point. They continued their streak of solid play by holding the 49ers to eight plays and forcing them to bring Wishnowsky to punt the ball back to the Seahawks. The Seahawks got the ball back. I don't need to tell you that the Seahawks went three-and-out again, but we gained one yard this time! Praise be! Finally, the Seahawks had a drive that resulted in positive yardage! One whole yard! Hey, we might be getting outgained -12 yards to San Francisco's 184, but that was the first drive we had with positive yardage since the opening drive-- things are starting to look up for us!

After the greatest drive of Russell Wilson's professional career, the 49ers' offense came back out only to be hit by the metaphorical truck that is the Seattle Seahawks defense. They gave up only four yards on that drive and continued strengthening my satisfaction with the unit today.

Now it was time for the Seahawks offense to retake the field. My roommate, who is also a fellow 12, was chanting for an 18-and-out-- I'd be lying if I said I didn't join him. The drive opened up with a dump-off from Wilson into the hands of Alex Collins, who took the ball up the field for 28 yards--wow, good job, Seahawks! The following two plays were four and five-yard runs by Alex Collins. On the ensuing third-and-one, Wilson was able to find his all-pro wide receiver D.K Metcalf for 28 more yards and a first down-- where was this all game? Alex Collins took another Russell Wilson for a short three-yard gain, but Wilson found his all-pro wide receiver D.K Metcalf for a 12-yard touchdown! It took the Seahawks a long time, but they were finally able to find paydirt. It also helps that their defense was able to contain San Francisco and hold them to seven points. The 49ers got the ball back and could only run five plays before punting the ball back to the 'Hawks. They didn't do much with their last possession of the half, but that was okay. What was the worst offensive half of the Carroll-Wilson era ended the best way it could've possibly ended-- tied 7-7 with their biggest rival.

Seahawks reciever D.K. Metcalf maks a move on 49ers defensive back Jaquiski Tartt

San Francisco got the ball to start the third quarter, and when I looked up at the T.V. screen and noticed that Trey Lance was in at quarterback--this is when I was ready to accept our defeat. Lance was filling in for Jimmy Garrapolo because the starting quarterback was dealing with some problems with his leg. Trey Lance was the third overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft as a North Dakota State University quarterback. I was so scared of a rookie quarterback because he is athletic and known for being shifty-- a poor man's Russell Wilson, if you will. There is little to no film on this kid, so there is always the possibility that he beats up on the Seahawks' defense. He handed the ball off to Trey Sermon for a long 15-yard gain. Trey Sermon got the ball again for seven yards. Then he was tackled in the backfield by Alton Robinson for a loss on one yard. The 49ers then punted the ball back to the Seahawks, and that's when I was reminded of a horrifying stat-- the Seahawks have failed to score in the third quarter so far in the season. It hurt to see on the screen-- the last thing I wanted was another scoreless third quarter from our offense, but it was time to change that stat.

Wilson heaved a ball to Tyler Lockett for a 19-yard gain to start the drive-- that's what we like to see. Chris Carson then carried the ball twice and got us 14 yards on the ground to bring the 'Hawks closer to their enemy's endzone. D.K Metcalf caught a screen pass and broke a tackle for nine more yards, and Alex Collins rushed for six. After a short two-yard completion to Tyler Lockett, the Seahawks were looking at second-and-eight from the 49ers' 16-yard line. Wilson takes the snap, and he sits comfortably in the pocket. So far, his offensive line was performing better in the second half, so he was getting the time he needed to survey the field. Opposing defenses have a problem with Russell Wilson: if you give him too much time to study the field, you've lost. With the excellent protection up front, Wilson rolled out to his left and saw nothing but green in front of him. The veteran quarterback rushed into the endzone for his first rushing touchdown on the season. It took a while, but the Seahawks' offense was starting to find a sense of rhythm with each other.

This upcoming play is an excellent example of what makes football such a special sport, in my opinion. Seahawks kicker, Jason Meyers, lined up to kick the ball back to San Francisco following the 'Hawks second touchdown. It was a long 60-yard kick, and the 49ers had running back Trenton Cannon muffed the ball! He was lucky that there were to recover the ball. Since no Seahawks players around him at that moment, he decided to test his luck again and try and take the ball out further-- but DeeJay Dallas had a different plan in store. When Trenton came up with the ball and wanted to advance it, Dallas was just able to get his hand on the ball to force it out again! Seahawks special teamer Jon Rattigan was able to come down with the fumble. The Seahawks offense was now primed to make some serious separation on the scoreboard. What makes this play so emblematic of football is that special teams are not much spoken about unless something big such as this happens. The Seahawks were struggling all game, and they were gaining some traction on the last drive. If they score a touchdown here after getting the ball back in such an epic fashion, they'd be white hot and in the driver seat for the rest of the game-- and that's exactly what they did. Chris Carson advanced the ball one yard to the San Francisco 13-yard line until Russell Wilson made some magic happen. 

On second-and-nine, Russell Wilson took the snap from interim center Kyle Fuller. Before Wilson called the snap, the 49ers were scheming corner-back Dontae Johnson to disguise a blitz. This means that Johnson will make it look like he is coming down to the line of scrimmage to play the opposing Seahawks receiver, Freddie Swain. When Wilson takes the snap, he expects Johnson to back off and go into coverage, but in reality, he rushes towards Wilson to get a sack. He was playing on the left side of the Seattle offensive line, which is usually a good thing because pro-bowl left tackle Duane Brown is the best player on the Seahawks offensive line-- but he doesn't pick up Johnson's blitz. By the time Wilson takes the snap, Johnson is passed Brown, who is instead blocking 49ers superstar defensive end, Nick Bosa. Johnson comes rushing at Wilson with the intensity of a thousand suns, but he may have been too intense. He can get to Wilson, but Wilson could feel Johnson's presence and shake off his well-executed chance at a sack. Wilson then released a bullet to Freddie Swain in the endzone for a sick touchdown. By this point, it felt that the Seahawks were pulling off an improbable comeback, and nothing could stop them--that is nothing but themselves, naturally.

Jamal Adams breaks up a potential touchdown pass to all-pro tight end George Kittle

San Francisco blinked, and now they were down by two touchdowns. They needed their rookie quarterback to get something going on offense, or the game was as good as over with how hot the Seahawks were getting. The drive began from the San Francisco 11-yard line, and the first play was a solid seven-yard gain by Sermon. After Trey Lance converted an easy third-and-one by picking up four yards with his legs, the 49ers were able to expose the Seahawks' poor communication with a 76-yard touchdown pass to breakout receiver Deebo Samuel. Many people blamed Seahawks' strong safety Jamal Adams on this play because he was seen pointing out that Samuel was wide open. I am here to tell you that is false. Do you know how I know that is false? Well, it's as simple as Jamal wasn't assigned to be covering Samuel on the play--if you need more evidence of this, Jamal allowed a passer rating of 37--which is excellent-- on Sunday against the 49ers. That number would be much higher had he been responsible for that touchdown. Anyways, remember when I said that Robbie Gould being hurt would impact the 49ers? 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan didn't trust Wishnowsky to kick the PAT after his missed field goal, so he had the team go for a two-point conversion. However, San Francisco had movement on their offensive line from Laken Tomlinson. Shanahan now decided to go for the PAT after the penalty, and Wishnowsky missed it.

D.K Metcalf continued his decent game with a 16-yard reception from his future Hall of Fame quarterback. After some plays by Alex Collins that got some positive yards, the Seahawks were facing a third-and-one. They continued the drive when bell-cow running back Chris Carson picked up two yards on the ground. It wasn't too long, and the Seahawks were already facing a third-and-ten. Wilson targeted Tyler Lockett for a sizeable gain, but the ball fell incomplete. However, it fell incomplete because the 49ers' corner-back, Dre Kirkpatrick, held Tyler Lockett back from advancing to the ball, and the refs called it. Tyler Lockett is a great receiver, but he is an even better actor. Kirkpatrick was holding on the play, but it was soft. Lockett was able to sell the penalty and keep the drive alive--Tyler Lockett's ability to keep offensive drives alive without touching the ball is such an underrated aspect of his game. With the Seahawks set up on the San Francisco 18-yard line, they were ready to go up another touchdown. Alex Collins took the handoff and ran up for a four-yard gain. Collins' next run was electric. He tried to find a hole on the left side of the offensive line, but there was nothing there-- but the men on the right side were making a large hole. Collins took his chance and stared down plenty of opposition. But, with the help of some blockers ahead of him and some shifty footwork, Collins found the endzone and now the Seahawks are up 28-13. Things are looking great for the 'Hawks now.

The Seahawks and 49ers then exchanged some three-and-outs until the Seahawks were able to force a turnover on downs--only to go three-and-out and punt the ball back to San Francisco. I've been happy with how the Seahawks were able to manage the clock well and nurse their lead. The 49ers were able to get down the field by allowing some converted fourth-down conversions and allowed the 49ers to get deep in Seattle territory. One of the fourth-down conversions came on a run by Trey Lance when he put a move on all-world linebacker Bobby Wagner and gained 13 yards-- that was a nice play, and I have to give credit where credit is due. Lance threw his second touchdown of the game to Deebo Samuel, and they converted the two-point conversion, this time on another athletic play by the rookie quarterback. The 49ers attempted an onside kick--and Wishnowksy did well with the kick-- but the Seahawks recovered the ball and thus won the game.

49ers rookie quarterback Trey Lance attempts a pass

As a Seahawks fan, I have become spoiled with the Seahawks-49ers matchups. Russell Wilson now has a record of 21-4 against the San Francisco 49ers-- that is absurd. Our archrival played a hard-fought game and was able to bring the game within one score in the end. But the 'Hawks were the better team this game. The Seahawks started extremely slow, but they were able to come back and find their rhythm and get hot, where the San Francisco 49ers failed to stay hot after a great start. Don't get me wrong, the 49ers still played well in the second half, but their two touchdowns were on a blown coverage in the secondary and a garbage time score. This was a must-win game for the Seahawks, and they were able to come away with the crucial NFC West win.

Some takeaways of the game were how well the Seahawks could adapt in the second half offensively. We have been promised offensive adjustments from Shane Waldron, and he delivered. The offensive line allowed three sacks in the first half and then shut down the vaunted 49ers' pass rush. Gabe Jackson and Kyle Fuller had strong games in the interior offensive line-- offensive is looking to be less and less of a problem as the season continues. I was also incredibly pleased with how disciplined the Seahawks were. They had five penalties for 27 yards, where the 49ers had eight penalties for 78 yards, which leads the NFL--not a stat you want to lead the NFL in. The Seahawks defense was also decent throughout the day, but they still struggled. They gave up 457 yards to the mediocre San Francisco offense, which is concerning. However, the defense was much better in third-down situations--only allowing two conversions on 14 third downs. But, they did let three of four fourth-down, so take with that what you will. Also, they may have only had two sacks on the day, but the pass rush was very much a factor in this game during the second half—Trey Lance was pressured on a lot of his dropbacks. D.K Metcalf had a similar game to the defense-- he produced, but he still had his problems. D.K. dropped a lot of nice passes from Russ that should've been caught. I won't go too hard on him because he wasn't fully healthy, and he still made some crucial catches, including a touchdown. 

All and all, it was satisfying to watch the Seahawks get back in the win column, but I am still worried about their inability to play a full game of football. Also, winning a game by being outgained by over 200 yards is somewhat of a pyrrhic victory. Some things must get ironed out, and they certainly won't figure them all out, but they need to act fast. The Seahawks are hosting the Rams on Thursday for another critical NFC West matchup. The Sean McVay coached Los Angeles Rams, have an excellent track record against the Pete Carroll-lead Seattle Seahawks, so chances are this is a loss for the 'Hawks. But for now, they are winners for a couple of days. They are winners against their biggest historical rival in a must-win game, which is reason enough to celebrate. Go 'Hawks!